Young charger impresses at debut Ferrari test
Salvatore Cicatelli, Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Piscopo and Andrea Bertolini |
Ferrari |
(GMM) The top three finishers in this year's Italian F3 series this week made their formula one test debuts at Ferrari's local Fiorano circuit.
In a joint initiative of the Maranello based team and the Italian governing body ACI-CSAI, Mirko Bortolotti, Edoardo Piscopo and Salvatore Cicatelli all got turns at the wheel of the constructors' championship-winning F2008 on Wednesday.
F3 champion Bortolotti, who is just 18, achieved the extraordinary feat of beating the fully competitive benchmark lap time – just over 59 seconds – set by regular Ferrari test driver Andrea Bertolini.
Mirko Bortolotti prepares to try out Ferrari F1 car |
Ferrari |
"I was able to get comfortable very quickly," he told La Gazzetta dello Sport, "because this car keeps giving you confidence.
"At the end I captured the record, so it could not have gone better," he added.
Piscopo's best lap was a 1.00.3, while Cicatelli's best was a 1.01.2 after 33 laps.